Cook Memorial official fears more delays
Cook Memorial Public Library board President Bonnie Quirke fears the newly revamped facility in Libertyville's Cook Park won't be ready for a planned Jan. 8 opening.
With that date a little more than a week away, Libertyville village officials haven't yet issued the Cook Memorial staff a permanent occupancy permit for the building, Quirke said Thursday. She doesn't understand why.
“We have told them we would comply with everything they have requested, and they still haven't granted permanent occupancy,” Quirke said, referring to the addition of items such as fire sprinklers and a sidewalk ramp.
Quirke suspects the library doesn't have a permit yet because Mayor Terry Weppler has requested changes to the library's parking lot. Weppler has proposed widening an entrance on Brainerd Avenue to allow for two-way traffic and installing a removable barricade at a Church Street exit to accommodate summertime street use for Libertyville Days and other events.
Cook Memorial officials have publicly balked at the request, saying village officials approved a different parking-lot plan long ago. Quirke has said the village rejected a lot layout similar to the one Weppler now wants.
On Thursday, Weppler denied the disagreement about the parking lot was behind the permit delay.
“They are two entirely separate issues,” he said. “I want to see that library open as soon as everybody else does.”
Weppler said the building-related issues he's aware of shouldn't prevent the village from issuing an occupancy permit in time for a Jan. 8 opening.
“I will do everything I can (to) get the building to open on time,” he said.
The library at 413 N. Milwaukee Ave. has been closed for more than a year for a $7 million remodeling and expansion project.
Original plans called for a fall 2010 reopening, but a construction strike and weather-related problems led to delays.
The village's desire for a new parking lot scheme first surfaced publicly this summer. Weppler spoke to the library board about his wishes Dec. 14, too.
Quirke has criticized the proposal, saying temporary changes to the parking lot would confuse drivers and aren't safe.
Weppler told the Daily Herald he would talk to village officials about the permit situation and try to get an explanation. He also said he would call Quirke to reassure her about the matter.
Holding the permit ransom in exchange for parking-lot changes doesn't make sense, Weppler said, because the required construction work couldn't be done until spring 2011.
“We're not going to let the library not be open until spring,” Weppler said.
Quirke said she is “very hopeful” the village grants the permit quickly so staff can get the facility ready for the public.
Until the building opens, district patrons must rely on the Vernon Hills branch or a bookmobile for library service. A temporary library that had operated on Milwaukee Avenue during construction closed last week.